Dr. Peyton Westlake (Neeson) is on the verge of realizing a
major breakthrough in the creation of synthetic skin when
his laboratory is blown up by gangsters. Having been burned
beyond recognition and forever altered by an experimental
medical procedure, Westlake becomes known as Darkman,
assuming alternate identities in his quest for revenge and a
new life with his former love (McDormand).

Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand star in this explosive,
action-packed thriller from director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man).
Dr. Peyton Westlake (Neeson) is on the verge of realizing a
major breakthrough in synthetic skin when his laboratory is
destroyed by gangsters. Having been burned beyond
recognition and forever altered by an experimental medical
procedure, Westlake becomes known as Darkman, assuming
alternate identities in his quest for revenge and a new life
with a former love (McDormand).

The Film:

Neglecting Julie (Frances McDormand), his lawyer lady friend, Dr. Peyton
Westlake (Liam Neeson) works feverishly to perfect his latest invention
-- artificial skin that could be used to treat burn victims. Peyton
himself falls victim to an explosion when one of Julie's crooked clients
sends his henchmen to sniff out an incriminating document that's been
left in Westlake's lab. Hideously disfigured and left for dead, the good
doctor receives an experimental medical treatment that renders him
super-strong, impervious to pain and prone to heightened fits of rage.
Rebuilding his lab into an underground hideout, Westlake begins using
his synthetic skin to impersonate various characters and engineer his
revenge against those who destroyed his life. Reconnecting with Julie,
however, becomes the unsightly vigilante's biggest challenge.

Dr. Westlake (Neeson) is on the verge of perfecting a synthetic skin
which conceals disfigurements; the problem is, the skin dissolves in
sunlight after 99 minutes. When his laboratory is ransacked and blown up
by gangster Durant (Drake), Westlake is left for dead, face down in a
vat of caustic chemicals. But he survives (sans visage) as Darkman, an
avenging angel who uses temporary masks to impersonate and destroy his
enemies, while simultaneously attempting to win back his estranged love
(McDormand). Drawing self-consciously on the 'misunderstood monster'
tradition of Universal's golden age, Raimi's major studio debut abounds
with conflicting ambitions, juggling pathos, horror and incongruous
slapstick as it attempts to meld (with variable success) an archaic
narrative structure with a kinetic, modern visual style. Neeson's
performance encapsulates these contradictions, mixing camp histrionics
with moments of touching precision. But the breathtaking action
sequences find Raimi in his element: wild, woolly and occasionally
wondrous, Darkman has the chaotic charm of untrammelled,
undisciplined talent.

Image : NOTE:The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.

I didn't pick up the
Universal Blu-ray of Darkmen,
back in 2011 - but I wish I had - not only to compare to
this new Shout! Factory
1080P edition
but I quite liked the film.
Shout! Factory - is continuing releasing - especially, what
were perceived as, previously flawed Universal HD transfers.
I know sentiment was that the previous Universal
Blu-ray of Darkman was
poor. Not owning it I can't say. While I enjoyed the film, I
did see some anomalies in these new format visuals. Firstly,
I don't want it to seem I am picking on Shout! Factory - I,
generally, like their releases and this is mostly
acceptable. I did see some edge-enhancement though (see
identifying zoom-in below). It wasn't blanketed, or heavy -
but it was there - more notably at the beginning. Could this
be on Universal's Master? I have just been informed that it
has... This is, by no means, unwatchable, and I did enjoy
the film - but for those ultra-sensitive, they should be
notified this transfer has issues.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY
CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

Edge Enhancement Halos

Audio :

The DTS-HD
Master 5.1 surround at a healthy 3690 Kbps sounds intense and carries
through the film's aggression and mood-shifts wonderfully well. The
score is by Danny Elfman (Batman
Returns,
Good Will Hunting,
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure) and play perfectly alongside the film. There are optional English subtitles on the
region 'A'
Blu-ray
disc.

Extras :

There are a massive amount of extras here starting with an audio
commentary with director of photography Bill Pope who shares his
insights on the production. Shout! Factory include interviews with Liam
Neeson (7:29) and Frances McDormand (10:50) and four new 'Red Shirt'
featurettes - My Name is Durant is 15-minute interview with Larry
Drake (who played baddie Robert G. Durant in Darkman.) The Face of
Revenge gives us 13-minutes with Makeup Designer Tony Gardner.
Henchman Tales has a dozen minutes of interviews with actors Danny
Hicks and Dan Bell ('Smiley' and 'Skip') and Dark
Design focuses on a 16-minute interview with Production Designer
Randy Ser and Art Director Philip Dagort discussing their contributions
to the film with glimpses at storyboards. Shout! Factory include the
previous vintage “Making of” (6:26) and interview with Sam Raimi,
Liam Neeson and Frances McDormand. There is a theatrical trailer, TV
Spots and 4 Stills Gallery (Behind the Scenes/Makeup, Posters and
Artwork, Production Stills, Storyboards) to click thru.

BOTTOM LINE: I liked this film and should have given it a chance earlier. Raimi
can remind me of John Carpenter sometimes - with a pleasing
'B'-ish charisma to his storytelling style. Despite
our pickiness the Shout! Factory
Blu-ray produces an acceptable presentation - worthy of a pleasant
adventure-romp
night in the Home Theater and the extra will increase your
appreciation. I will certainly revisit Darkman in the
future.

Gary Tooze

February 14th, 2014

About the Reviewer:
Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film
since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was
around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my
horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out
new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500
DVDs and have reviewed over 5000 myself. I appreciate my
discussion Listserv for furthering my film
education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver.
Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our
Amazon links.

Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I
find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction.